50 Must See John F Kennedy Quotes !
JFK also known as John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S & was the 35th president of the Unites States of America. Known as one of the most loved presidents in American History, there is much we can learn from him. Therefore, we bring to you our collection of 50 Must See John F Kennedy Quotes!
Must See John F Kennedy Quotes
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, 20 January 1961.
“When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Speech, United Negro College Fund, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 12, 1959
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, As reported in: Mayor (Simon and Schuster, 1984) by Ed Koch, William Rauch, p. 96
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: 1961
“The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1962)
“I have said that control of arms is a mission that we undertake particularly for our children and our grandchildren and that they have no lobby in Washington.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, November 1, 1963, Public Papers of the President: John F. Kennedy, 1963.
“Political action is the highest responsibility of a citizen.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Speech, October 20, 1960
“While we proceed to safeguard our national interests, let us also safeguard human interests. And the elimination of war and arms is clearly in the interest of both.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, American University speech, 10 June 1963
“Of the multitude who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of great suffering and loss, no voice is more compelling than that of Anne Frank.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, As quoted in: A tribute to Anne Frank (Doubleday, 1970), p. 57
“We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, America, the Beautiful: In the Words of John F. Kennedy (ed. 1964)
“My brother Bob doesn’t want to be in government – he promised Dad he’d go straight.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, The Wicked Wit of John F. Kennedy (ed. Michael O’Mara Books, 2003) – ISBN: 9781843170570
“If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Neither the Fanatics Nor the Faint-hearted (ed. 1963)
Fascinating John F Kennedy Quotes
“No government or social system is so evil that its people must be considered as lacking in virtue.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, American University speech, 10 June 1963
“We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, speech to Congress, Jan. 30, 1962
“When I ran for Presidency of the United States, I knew that this country faced serious challenges, but I could not realize – nor could any man realize who does not bear the burdens of this office – how heavy and constant would be those burdens.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Berlin Crisis speech, July 25, 1961
“No responsibility of government is more fundamental than the responsibility of maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour for those who conduct the public business.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1962)
“The Greeks understood that mind and body must develop in harmonious proportions to produce a creative intelligence.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, The Wisdom of JFK (ed. 1965)
“Arms alone are not enough to keep the peace. It must be kept by men.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, State of the Union message, 1963
“Certain other societies may respect the rule of force—we respect the rule of law.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Address at Vanderbilt University, 18 May 1963
“We test and then they test and we have to test again. And you build up until somebody uses them.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, As quoted in: A Thousand Days (1965)
“Freedom is not merely a word or an abstract theory, but the most effective instrument for advancing the welfare of man.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961: (ed. Best Books on, 1962) – ISBN: 9781623768997
“If all of you had voted the other way – there’s about 5500 of you here tonight – I would not be the President of the United States.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Address in Chicago at a dinner of the Democratic Party of Cook County (155),” April 28, 1961, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1961.
“Our responsibility is one of decision, for to govern is to choose.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1962)
“There is no city in the United States in which I can get a warmer welcome and fewer votes than Columbia, Ohio.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, John F. Kennedy (ed. 1962)
Great John F Kennedy Quotes
“Political sovereignty is but a mockery without the means of meeting poverty and illiteracy and disease. Self-determination is but a slogan if the future holds no hope.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, UN speech, 25 September 1961
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963”, p.836, Best Books on
“The basis of effective government is public confidence, and that confidence is endangered when ethical standards falter or appear to falter.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1962)
“Geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Address to the Canadian Parliament (17 May 1961)
“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1964)
“Only in the case of the Negro has the melting pot failed to bring a minority into the full stream of American life.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, The Kennedy reader (ed. 1967)
“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask “why not?”.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Speech delivered to the Dail (Parliament of Ireland) (28 June 1963)
“The future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospects of its youth.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1964)
“The United States has to move very fast to even stand still.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Quoted in the Observer, 21 July 1963
“No man who enters upon the office to which I have succeeded can fail to recognize how every president of the United States has placed special reliance upon his faith in God.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1962)
“The world was not meant to be a prison in which man awaits his execution.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President (ed. 1962)
“The basis of self-government and freedom requires the development of character and self-restraint and perseverance and the long view. And these are qualities which require many years of training and education.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Address at the University of Washington, 16 November 1961
Our most rated John F Kennedy Quotes
“This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963”, p.13, Best Books on
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Address on first anniversary of Alliance for Progress, 13 Mar. 1962
“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Inaugural Address, 20 Jan. 1961
“Too often we… enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Yale University Commencement Address, delivered 11 June 1962
“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, 1963 On sending national guardsmen to ensure peaceful integration at the University of Alabama. Address to the nation, 11 Jun.
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963”, p.517,
“A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1962”, p.163,
“The state is the servant of the citizen, and not his master.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1962”, p.9,
“In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1962”, p.266,
“Only an educated and informed people will be a free people.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Vanderbilt University 90th Anniversary Convocation Address, delivered 18 May 1963, Vanderbilt University Stadium, Nashville Tennessee
“Economic growth without social progress lets the great majority of the people remain in poverty, while a privileged few reap the benefits of rising abundance.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961”, p.178,
“Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, John F. Kennedy’s Speech at the Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina, September 17, 1960.
“The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Inaugural Address, delivered 20 January 1961
“Hold fast to the best of the past and move fast to the best of the future.”
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Vanderbilt University 90th Anniversary Convocation Address, delivered 18 May 1963, Vanderbilt University Stadium, Nashville Tennessee
We hope that you enjoyed our selection here ! Please leave a comment and let us know what your favourite John F Kennedy Quotes are!
Perhaps of interest to you would be our collection of quotes from other US Presidents:
Some Interesting Facts about John F. Kennedy
John F Kennedy’s family was wealthy; hence he was one of the wealthiest presidents ever. His father, Joseph Kennedy, was involved in Wall Street and similar investment opportunities, and he escaped a terrorist attack in 1920, soon after JFK was born. Kennedy also won a Purple Heart for his service in the Pacific during world war 2 and became the only president to win this prestigious award.
Kennedy received the sacramental last rites three times before his presidency due to his severe health issues. He has been disqualified from Army and Navy both during the physical examination due to his poor health. But because of his father’s reach and influence, he did join the Navy with a fake good health certificate. He also won a Pulitzer Prize for his book “Why England Slept” at 22.
He donated all his salary from Congress and the presidency to charity. Kennedy attended Princeton University before Harvard but had to drop in between because of his intestinal issues.
If you enjoyed reading these facts, then you should also check out these 9 Fascinating Facts About George H. W. Bush’s Life and Work!
I love him!! I was almost 3 when he died. My Mama said I set down and cried, while we watched the coverage.
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Thanks for the quotes!! He was so smart, and a great leader!!
Hi.. Thank you for liking the quotes. You must explore our other leadership quotes as well.